Professional Photography

You hire a professional photographer to produce a 3-dimensional image that stands out on a 2-dimensional plane and shows the details and effectively communicates with the viewer. Sounds simple enough, but many self-taught 'professionals' haven't learned the basic first lesson; to capture detail in the highlights and the shadows.

 The goal of a good photographer is to capture what he sees. Compared to the human eye, a camera does a very poor job of seeing. IF a photograph has no information or detail in the darkest areas of the image (novice) and/or no information or details in the lightest areas (Amateur) then it isn't a very professional photograph.

If someone is bragging to you about how 'professional' their photography is, just look at the details (or lack thereof) and you will know instantly how professional they are!